Rain, Thunderstorms to Visit Talladega Superspeedway
For the second weekend in a row, the weather may cause disruptions for racing fans and drivers. Rain and potentially heavy, gusty thunderstorms are in the offing for Talladega, Ala. and much of the Deep South Saturday into Sunday.
Rain could come down in buckets, and damaging weather conditions are possible Saturday afternoon and evening.
Unlike Major League Baseball, which has not yet had a game rained out during the regular season, Mother Nature has been a lot tougher on NASCAR and their fans. Rainy Sundays mean the races get pushed back to Monday, when many fans have to go back to work.
Photo by Photos.com.
While residents on the southern Plains and in the lower Mississippi Valley are bracing for potentially the most significant and dangerous severe weather outbreak of the season so far, the same weather system may lead to delays, postponements and foiled activities at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
Recall that last weekend, rain forced the postponement of both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races at Texas Motor Speedway in Arlington. Two weeks prior to the Texas races, rain forced postponement of the Sprint Cup race at Martinsville, Va.
No problems are expected for Sprint Cup practice and Nationwide Series qualifying Friday in east-central Alabama. Temperatures will climb well into the 80s.
Rain could come into play by Saturday midday for Sprint Cup qualifying as thunderstorms from the Plains will have crossed the Mississippi River to the west hours before.
Heavy rain and potentially gusty thunderstorms are expected to roll through during Saturday afternoon when the Nationwide race is scheduled. Temperatures will be in the 60s during the rain. If one of the real nasty thunderstorms hits, there could be flooding, damaging wind gusts, hail and frequent lightning strikes.
Steady rain and the storms are expected to have ended in time for the Sprint Cup race Sunday. However, crews will be working to dry off the track in time for the start of the race, scheduled at 1:00 p.m. Up to several inches of rain may have fallen from Saturday afternoon into early Sunday morning.
For now, it appears the weather will improve enough to sneak that race in Sunday. However, there is a slight chance that returning sunshine and modest warming Sunday afternoon would lead to a pop-up shower, forcing a delay. Temperatures are expected rebound through the 70s to near 80.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 113° | Death Valley, CA |
| Low | 30° | Bellemont, AZ |
| Precip | 9.70" | Miami, FL |
WeatherWhys®
A large, horrific tornado struck the city of Joplin, Mo., last year on this date. The twister cut a deadly path across the south side of the city, leaving over 159 dead and at least 1,150 injured. The Joplin tornado currently ranks as the 7th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
This Day In Weather History
New Hampshire (1814)
A tornado crossed Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and North Chester. The same storm produced hailstones that had an 11-inch circumference and weighed 1/2 pound.
Northeast (1989)
More rain in an already wet month. Monthly totals topped 11 inches at New York City, 9 inches at Bridgeport, Conn., and 8 inches at Baltimore (all three totals set records for May).
Rough Weather
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